In recent years, electronic apparatuses equipped with speech recognition devices have been developed. Here, examples of the electronic apparatuses equipped with speech recognition functions include television receivers, VTR (video tape recorders), CD players (compact disk players), video disk players, DVD players (digital versatile disk players), mini disk players, and video cameras.
FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a conventional electronic apparatus equipped with a speech recognition device.
In FIG. 18, an electronic apparatus 900 comprises a speech recognition device 950, an electronic apparatus control unit 906, and an electronic apparatus functional unit 907.
The speech recognition device 950 outputs, when the electronic apparatus 900 is so set as to be operated by a speech recognition operation, a command signal to the electronic apparatus control unit 906 on the basis of a command issued by speech from the exterior. Further, when the electronic apparatus 900 is so set as not to be operated by the speech recognition operation, the speech recognition device 950 does not output the command signal to the electronic apparatus control unit 906 even in a case where the command is issued by the speech.
The speech recognition device 950 comprises a speech instruction input unit 901, a speech recognition unit 902, a communication control unit 903, a speech recognition operation inhibition setting unit 904, and a speech recognition operation judgment unit 905.
The speech instruction input unit 901 is composed of a microphone or the like, and inputs the speech as an audio signal to the speech recognition unit 902.
The speech recognition unit 902 searches a speech dictionary on the basis of the inputted audio signal, recognizes the command issued by the audio signal, and outputs the results of the recognition as a command signal to the speech recognition operation judgment unit 905.
The communication control unit 903 receives, when it performs such setting that the electronic apparatus 900 performs no speech recognition operation by communication means, a signal indicating that a speech recognition operation is inhibited from a communication control unit 908 in another electronic apparatus, and outputs the received signal to the speech recognition operation inhibition setting unit 904.
The speech recognition operation inhibition setting unit 904 sets the inhibition or the allowance of the speech recognition operation in the speech recognition operation judgment unit 905 on the basis of a manual operation or information from the communication control unit 903.
The speech recognition operation judgment unit 905 is composed of a memory and a microcomputer. The microcomputer performs various types of operations on the basis of the information stored in the memory and the information fed by the speech recognition unit 902 and the speech recognition operation inhibition setting unit 904.
When the speech recognition operation is allowed by the speech recognition operation inhibition setting unit 904, the speech recognition operation judgment unit 905 outputs the command signal to the electronic apparatus control unit 906 on the basis of the command fed by the speech recognition unit 902. Further, when the speech recognition operation is inhibited by the speech recognition operation inhibition setting unit 904, the speech recognition operation judgment unit 905 does not output the command signal to the electronic apparatus control unit 906 even if the command is fed by the speech recognition unit 902.
The electronic apparatus control unit 906 receives the command signal by a manual operation or the speech recognition operation of the speech recognition device 950, to control the electronic apparatus functional unit 907.
The electronic apparatus functional unit 907 performs the inherent function of the electronic apparatus 900 by the control of the electronic apparatus control unit 906. When the electronic apparatus 900 is a television receiver, the inherent function of the electronic apparatus 900 means the turn-on and the turn-off of a power supply, the receiving of a television signal, the selection of a receiving channel, the display of video, the output of speech, etc. Consequently, the inherent function of the electronic apparatus 900 is specified depending on what is the electronic apparatus 900.